My wife's company just pays people bonuses to take the bus/ride a bike/walk/run/whathaveyou to work. Employees get a small bonus literally every day they utilize alternative transportation. It's not much for each commute, but over the course of a month, it ends up being a few hundred bucks for some people. My wife used to drive to work, but is now riding her bike. I am 99% sure she loves the bike commute so much now that she wouldn't revert back even if the small bonus got taken away.
It's great ! But it's also very saddening that people need incitation from companies to stop driving to work and can't make such healthy, environment-friendly decisions themselves.
Not surprising to me at all. Driving is comfortable and easy, and most American cities have awful public transit and terrible, dangerous bike infrastructure.
I live in Munich now and the difference in urban design is unbelievably stark. Munich is built to handle a variety of transportation modes well. American cities are basically just designed for cars, with other modes being an afterthought.
Driving is awesome, I am way better protected in the event something goes wrong, and I don't have to care about the weather.
This isn't popular here, but I have been indoctrinated by environmental bullshit as a kid and teen and I am done with that. I pay high gas taxes and if that can't more than offset the environmental impact whomever is in charge should be fired for incompetence.
>I pay high gas taxes and if that can't more than offset the environmental impact whomever is in charge should be fired for incompetence.
Edit: comment predicated on the assumption that this is in California, where Lyft is located
No, you don't pay high taxes, and second, political forces are such that gas taxes can not be raised to what they should be to prevent your "firing for incompetence." The politics don't work that way.
Friend, all the money is the world cannot undo environmental damage. Your tax dollars for gas are for revenue, not to offset environmental damage. Accepting this is very important.
If you have any doubts, throw all your greenbacks into a volcano and let us know if it stops erupting.
